At around 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Kyiv time), the highly-awaited summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska had officially started.
Putin landed around 15 minutes earlier at Elmendorf Air Force Base, where he was greeted by Trump.
The two walked down the red carpet with inaudible conversations, flanked by four US stealth fighters by the side.
When the two posed for a photo, a reporter asked Putin about the civilians killed in Ukraine, prompting him to smile and gesture as if he didn’t immediately understand.
The two later arrived at the summit destination, where they sat in silence before Trump said “thank you,” after which the press was ushered out of the venue.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting will be held in a three-on-three format, with Trump joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff – rejecting earlier Kremlin claims it would begin as a one-on-one before expanding to full delegations.
Rubio, Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will then take part in a subsequent meeting, according to Leavitt.
Trump’s Ukraine Envoy Keith Kellogg has been notably absent.
The talks are expected to last six to seven hours, Russian state media claimed earlier on Friday.
The meeting marks the first in-person meeting between the US and Russian heads of state after Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and potential restoration of ties between Washington and Moscow.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said he would not rule out discussing “business” cooperation with Putin but stressed it would only happen if talks go smoothly, with any deals realized after the war ends.
Following calls with Kyiv and European leaders on Wednesday, Trump said that during Friday’s summit, he aims to secure a ceasefire and – if things progress smoothly – a later meeting between Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump also warned of “severe consequences” for Moscow in the form of sanctions if Russia fails to show progress towards a ceasefire.
On Friday, Trump also said territorial concessions from Kyiv would be discussed at the talks but no decision would be made without Ukraine’s involvement – a step back from his earlier stance that a so-called “swapping” of Ukrainian territories would be the talks’ main agenda.
A joint press conference is expected following the meetings.